The Vongola House
by Pegz
Summary: In an elitist world where people of noble birth collect their fellow humans like they were nothing more than living dolls, human trafficking is simply an accepted reality of life. Tsuna is the heir and soon to be inheritor of the most prestigious of all collections, The Vongola House... Full summary inside. AU, all27, yaoi, yuri & het pairings, rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: **

_In an elitist world where people of noble birth collect their fellow humans like they were nothing more than living dolls, and human trafficking is simply an accepted reality of life, The Vongola House Collection stands above all. The heir to the family inherits this unparalleled collection of models, fighters and skilled individuals when they take over. Sawada Tsunayoshi is the next in line, and was taught since birth to accept and maintain this outstanding collection. The only problem is… this is not what he wants… this is not what he wants at all. AU, shounen-ai/yoai, shoujo-ai/yuri and het pairings, All27_

* * *

Tsuna swallowed nervously as he was guided towards his new position, a place the other guards affectionately called 'the danger rooms'.

It was an area that housed the most notoriously volatile and powerful additions of The Collection.

They were also, due to the difficulty with which they were obtained, the most expensive and prized 'pieces'. And although dehumanizing, this was a strangely fitting title for them. They were all, in their own rights, masterpieces. The most dangerous and attractive slaves here, and the irony of that was not lost on Tsuna. Weren't most of the deadliest creatures in existence strangely alluring after all?

It was for these reasons that the danger rooms were appropriately given the most heavy duty security system out of the entire complex.

They didn't have cameras, for reasons of privacy, but they compensated for that with around the clock guards and specially reinforced steel rooms, the truth of which was hidden behind a façade of plaster and pretty wallpapers.

The most effective form of security however was in the restraints each and every slave put in there were made to wear.

As a last precaution, they were all fitted with special metal bands around their ankles, specifically designed to enforce total obedience. If one of them was to so much as resist a guard or a guest, then they would receive one of three stages of electric shocks, via the band.

The first stage was mild, and more of a gentle reminder than anything else. The second stage was stronger and enough to cause temporary shock to the nervous system, usually dis-enabling any free mobility long enough for them to be properly restrained. The third however, was on a totally different level. This stage of punishment was only ever activated in emergency situations, when a slave was trying to escape or had actually managed to harm one of the guards, guests or another slave. The shock itself was strong enough to knock a normal, fully grown man out. But as the people in these rooms were not (supposedly) normal, they would have to suffer through excruciating full body pain instead.

And if even after all that they still persisted, then a strong paralytic drug would be administer, via a secondary mechanism in the band.

All in all, escape or resistance was virtually impossible.

Even knowing all of this though, Tsuna's senses were still on high alert as the other guard led him into the main room, where a large group of the danger room slaves were all gathered at the moment.

As soon as they came into line of sight, Tsuna experienced the rather unpleasant feeling of having dozens of hostile gazes pierce through him at the same time.

He swept his gaze around the room with the least amount of movement possible, unseen behind his mask. A small shiver of appreciation racked up his spine. It was exactly as he'd been told; they were masterpieces. He'd never seen a room full of more attractive people in his life, and the atmosphere itself was incredible. It was just a huge collective aura of power, which filled the room and was almost palpable in the air. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

As he looked closer at the individuals though, he noticed that there were some that looked… well, harmless. They had said there were a few slaves in the danger rooms who were there for reasons other than obvious destructive power. Some were deadly due to certain skills. What those skills were, he wasn't sure. Not much was known about the danger room inhabitants, except that they were – obviously – dangerous.

It was only as he looked around the room one last time that Tsuna finally caught sight of one more slave that he'd somehow managed to miss before. The shock of bright red hair drawing his eye.

The redhead was sitting on the floor and had curled himself into a ball, with his back braced against a couch at the far end of the room. He looked absolutely miserable, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his head cradled in the protective fold of his arms. And there was a lifelessness to his eyes that Tsuna didn't like one bit. He'd seen that kind of expression before and the implications behind it made him feel sick.

He must have been staring at that one for a particularly long amount of time because the guard who'd led him there leaned over and gave him an unnecessarily hard nudge with his elbow.

"Caught your eye did 'e?", he asked, with a sleazy drawl that made Tsuna feel like returning that nudge, but much harder.

He didn't acknowledge the question besides a small incline of his head, to show that he was listening.

"That's Enma", he was informed, and Tsuna rolled the name around in his head, "the newest addition", the other guard added.

There was a short pause before Tsuna asked, in a hushed tone, "what happened to him?"

His guide shrugged carelessly. "What always happens to the newbies? He struggled. An' then he learned the hard way, why ya don't do that."

Tsuna felt sick again. There was another pause, longer this time, and Tsuna could feel the other guard scrutinizing him, although both of their faces were hidden by the masks.

Finally, he must have taken Tsuna's prolonged silence as a dismissal, for he drew himself up and turned to leave with an airy, "well, now ya know where ta go, s'pose I'll leave ya to it."

Just before he left though, he turned back to Tsuna and leaned in, far closer that he'd ever wanted this man to be to him, and murmured, "We don't discourage the guards in this area from samplin'. After all, ya need some sorta compensation for workin' with these monsters. But if ya do, just make sure ya don't leave any marks."

And with an unwanted friendly clasp to his shoulder, he turned and left, leaving Tsuna standing tense and nauseous in a room full of people who'd probably like nothing better than to kill him.

As his gaze wandered back to Enma though he was overcome with a new feeling of purpose, and he composed himself with a deep, long intake of breath before stepping further into the room.

* * *

Gokudera had been having a pretty alright day… well, as alright as days in this kind of hell-hole could get. He'd woken up in the usual fashion - feeling dirty and used - and rolled out of bed to be greeted by his early rising roommate.

Yamamoto had given him the ritualistic soft, sympathetic smile, just like he did after every 'job'. It was the smile that made him feel tired and happy and pissed off all at once and he could never decide whether he wanted to cry on the bid idiot, hug him till he hurt or punch the smile off of his frustratingly beautiful face. Maybe all three.

They'd been relieved from 'work' due to some bullshit renovations - like they needed any more space - and also to let the new guards get used to their positions. The news had put everyone into good moods. Or rather, better than normal. So, there'd been less fighting and a somewhat temporary peace. He should have known better. These things never lasted. Not in this place anyway. Of course new guards meant new tormentors. New people who they had to figure out so that they could know whether to be afraid, mildly relieved or pissed off when they saw their babysitter for the day.

This one didn't look too bad, but they all knew that appearances could be deceiving. Just because he wasn't physically intimidating didn't mean he couldn't mess with them in other, more twisted, ways.

There were two types of people who were drawn to the danger rooms, those who wanted to dominate and those who wanted to be dominated. The submissive weren't so bad, it was the dominant ones that you had to look out for. They tended to come in two types, usually discernible from their physical build. The larger guys tended to hurt you in manageable ways. Pain of that kind faded relatively quickly. It was the small guys that were the most dangerous to them. They liked to mess with you mentally. Playing mind games that could leave you scared and messed up for a long, long time, maybe even the rest of your life.

That's why, when the new guard was lead through, long cloak swirling around what looked like a petite body and a small porcelain mask attached to his face, everyone was instantly put on edge.

They recognized the guy who was leading him. He was a real sleaze-ball, one who had an unpleasant habit of running his hands over the slaves whenever he could, like he thought he was in a petting zoo or something.

The new guy was hard to read though, he hid his movements too well and unlike his companion, kept his voice low - if he spoke at all - not going above a murmur. It was hard to tell, but it looked like the new guard was observing the room, carefully scrutinizing each individual, if the tiny head movements were anything to go by. Eventually, he seemed to stop and focus in, rather intently, on one particular slave at the back of the room.

Everyone tensed even further. It was Enma, the newest addition to the danger rooms. He was soft spoken and polite, if a little bit too mopey for some of them to stand, but generally well liked. He was like the kid of the group and the more experienced slaves looked after him as best they could. But he'd recently had an experience they all wished they could have spared him from. His first aggressive dom. had picked him out. The man was well known among the group for the damage he'd inflected on more than one of them in the past. The kid had struggled. You couldn't blame him for that, but he probably would have been better off if he'd just taken it. Instead he'd come out… like this. Even worse off than they'd expected.

And now this new guard, who none of them could figure out yet, had taken an interest in him.

The worst part was, they were all right here, the most powerful people in this whole damn place and they couldn't do a thing. All they could do was watch and pray, for Enma's sake, that the stereotype didn't carry though this time.

The guard silently made his way through the room, his soft steps basically the only sounds in the tense quiet.

After what seemed like much too long a time for such a short trip, he came to a stop in front of the subdued redhead. With slow, careful movements, he lowered himself into a crouch so that they were almost on the same eye level.

No one could figure out where this was going yet and the wait was making them edgy.

Tsuna observed Enma's face carefully. The redhead had tensed at his arrival but apart from that was completely unresponsive. Tsuna frowned and bit his lip behind the mask, never wishing more than now that he could show someone a reassuring face.

A small flash of colour caught Tsuna's eye and the brunette cautiously extended his hand, keeping his movements as slow and obvious as he could, trying not to startle the other. Enma flinched nervously as the hand came closer, his large red eyes darting up to Tsuna's masked face. He trembled slightly but allowed the guard to touch his face without any further response. Tsuna used his thumb and forefinger to grasp the slave's chin, slowly tilting his head back as gently as he possibly could.

Gokudera watched the guard slowly tilt Enma's head back with baited breath. Never before had they seen a guard handle a slave with that level of gentleness. He couldn't decide whether to be relieved or suspicious.

Tsuna drew in a sharp breath at the sight that met him.

Enma's neck, just under his jaw, was a mess of blue, purple and green bruising. They had a certain shape to them and appeared darkest in five distinct spots, as though a person had dug their fingers in and _squeezed_.

He watch Enma swallow nervously, adam's apple bobbing as he started trembling, obviously uneasy with his neck so exposed, especially after what he'd obviously had to go through.

The brunette rocked back on his heels, breathing deeply though his nose and struggling to contain his emotions. As soon as he let go, Enma's head lowered back to his arms and he curled back in on himself, only keeping his eyes up enough to watch Tsuna, wearily. The brunette almost started crying.

He'd seen enough.

Gokudera watched the new guard - who was apparently done with his observations - rock back on his heels and then push back up to a standing position, before turning and striding from the room. He watched his retreat with no small amount of contempt.

_'Too damaged for you?',_ he thought bitterly.

A replacement guard stepped into the room and settled himself back against the wall, right next to the door. He was familiar and as far as they were concerned, an improvement. They had him figured out already. He was one of the few guys assigned to this area that didn't try anything with them, but neither did he try to stop the others. In a sense, that made him as bad as them. It was hard to feel the same level of hatred though, for a guy that had never done anything to you, when compared to others who had.

Gokudera had thought that since this guy was here now, the other wouldn't be coming back for a while. He was wrong.

The new guard strode back into the room just as abruptly as he'd left, surprising more than one of them. His replacement slipped out again after a short exchange of nods, and as soon as the door closed behind him, the new guard turned back to the room.

Gokudera watched in astonishment as he approached Enma once more and unceremoniously dropped to the floor in front of him. The redhead tensed again, probably as confused as the rest of them.

After a deep, obvious intake on breath, the guard revealed a first aid kit from the volumes of his cloak and set it besides him. There was a long, tense pause, where everyone watched the guard, wonder just what the hell he was going to do next. He seemed to be struggling with a decision and after a while slumped, then straightened again with an air of resolution.

"I hope you know how much I'm breaking the rules for you", a few of the sharper eared occupants heard him mutter, one of which was Gokudera.

The guard took another deep breath and then… he started talking.

"Hey", he started somewhat awkwardly. "Uhh… I'm no psychologist, but a friend of mine told me that talking and human contact can really help in these sorts of… situations. Sooo… I guess we'll start with: Hi, my names 27, well… not really, but I can't give you my real name for… obvious reasons, but 27 should do… right?"

By this point, everyone was staring at the new guard like he'd completely lost his mind.

"You're… Enma, right?", he asked softly.

Enma stared at him with wide, uncertain eyes and slowly nodded, flinching slightly at the action, undoubtedly from his wounds.

Tsuna smiled, just happy that the redhead was responding to him at all. Obviously there was still a ways to go, but it was a good start. He leaned forwards slightly and extended a hand.

"Would you let me see your hands?", he asked kindly.

Enma hesitated for a second, looking confused and uncertain still, but slowly unraveled himself so that his legs were crossed instead, like Tsuna's were. He offered both hands, palms up. Tsuna took one with both of his and, handling it as gently as he possibly could, turned it over, exposing the bruised and split skin around Enma's knuckles. Just as he'd expected they'd be.

He reached into the first aid kit and drew out a tube of ointment and some bandaged, and then glanced back up at Enma's face. He still looked uncertain, but he didn't seem frightened anymore, so that was an improvement. Tsuna uncapped the ointment and squeezed a small amount out, rubbing it between his fingers before soothing it over the damaged knuckles. Enma hissed slightly, flinching, but didn't try to resist.

_'Already learned that lesson, huh?',_ Tsuna thought darkly, glad that the mask could hide his deep frown. Enma might have taken it the wrong way.

Once he'd finished bandaging the other's hands, he let them go and leaned back, dropping his own into his lap. Now that he had a good view of the redhead's face he saw that there was also a small cut on his right cheek. After a bit of a rummage in the first aid kit he triumphantly drew out a single, broad band-aid. Tsuna peeled the covering off and gently took the other's chin again, making sure he kept still. Gingerly, he spread the band-aid over the small wound and sat back again, with a pleased smile to himself, crinkling the band-aid packaging in his hand.

Enma blinked at him wonderingly and Tsuna tilted his head to the side, in a questioning manner, thinking Enma was actually going to say something. But the redhead looked away at the gesture, dropping his gaze to the floor. They stayed like that for a while and Tsuna was just about ready to leave, resigned to the fact that Enma wasn't going to open up to him, when a small voice stopped him.

"Why?", the redhead asked, with his head still bowed, not looking Tsuna in the face.

The brunette blinked, surprised. He leaned forwards again, trying to see the other's expression better. He tilted his head once more.

"Why?", he repeated questioningly, not understanding what the other was asking at first. Then it clicked. "Do you mean… 'why did I bandage your hands'…?", he inquired. Enma nodded mutely. Tsuna leaned back again, sighing to himself.

"Why not?", he asked back, after a short pause, and watched Enma's shoulders tense, as though he were shocked. The redhead's gaze darted up briefly.

"But… you're a guard", the redhead stated, as though that explained everything. And in a sad sort of way, it did. Tsuna nodded, acknowledging the fact.

"And?", he pressed, feeling strongly that he could get somewhere with this.

Enma finally raised his head and licked his lips, frowning and looking unsure again.

"But guards, they don't… I mean, they never…", he trailed off.

"Care?", Tsuna supplied, flatly.

Enma swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Well…", Tsuna said as he uncrossed his legs, bracing his hands on his knees and rising to a standing position. Enma's gaze followed him up. "Now one does", the guard stated, with a small self-acknowledging nod. Enma's eyes widened and he stared up at Tsuna, with his lips parted in mute surprise.

"Bullshit!", a loud voice rose up from behind Tsuna, and he tensed in surprise at the sudden outburst, but turned calmly to regard the speaker. It was one of the slaves from the main group, in the middle of the room. He was around Tsuna's age, with unusual grey hair which was parted down the middle, the bangs falling into his pale, blue-green eyes. Eyes that were currently giving Tsuna a glare that was so fierce, if looks could kill, he should have died multiple times by now.

* * *

Gokudera couldn't believe what he was hearing. This… _poser_, was trying to convince them that he _cared_? What utter bull! They didn't care, none of them did. And if any one of them said so, they were lying. And if there was one thing he hated, it was _liars_.

"Just what the hell kind of game are you trying to play?", he snarled, giving the guard a contemptuous look.

"Game?", the guard repeated, sounding confused but also slightly upset. Gokudera's frown deepened.

"Don't play dumb", he growled darkly, standing up.

Yamamoto, who had been sitting next to him, looked up worriedly and placed a hand on the other's forearm.

"Gokudera", he said in warning, gaze shifting between the guard and his fellow slave. It was ignored, and Gokudera shook the hand off.

"Guards don't care about us. They never have, never will. The only reason one would do something nice for us is because they want something." The angry slave ground out, clenching his fists and taking a threatening step forwards. He ignored the slight warning twinge from his ankle band.

". . . I'm sorry you feel that way", the guard replied, and the bastard actually sounded apologetic.

"You-", Gokudera started, looking like he was about ready to charge the brunette, when Yamamoto stood up abruptly, putting himself between Gokudera and the guard.

"Gokudera! That's enough, if you don't stop you could get a level three shock." Yamamoto stated, firmly, his face taking on a rare expression of absolute seriousness. Gokudera stared him down angrily but Yamamoto obviously wasn't budging anytime soon. They glared at each other for a few tension filled moments, before Gokudera relented, giving into his common sense. Yamamoto was right after all. Something like this wasn't worth getting a level three shock over. He reluctantly backed down, and Yamamoto relaxed as well, his serious expression softening.

Tsuna watch the exchange between the two slaves and was relieved when someone stepped in to stop this one called 'Gokudera'. He never wanted to be the cause of a slave receiving punishment from their bindings. As Tsuna watched the slave with silver hair back off (though he still looked irritated), he felt a great surge of pity. That level of distrust could only come from years of mistreatment and made it clear that Enma wasn't the only damaged one in here. All of these people probably carried scars of some kind, and that made him sad. But it also made him more motivated in his cause. He was determined to earn these people's trust, no matter what he had to go through to get it.

Gokudera made sure to give the guard one of the most scathing glares he could manage, before he turned sharply on his heel and stalked from the room. Yamamoto turned to regard Tsuna with a guarded expression, though his eyes were sharp. Despite his mask, Tsuna couldn't help but feel like the others gaze was piercing straight through to him.

"I think, perhaps, you should stay away from him for a while", he told the guard bluntly before he too turned his back on him. Just before he left though, he paused long enough to say, "I don't know what you're trying to do, but you'd better be careful about it." And with that, he left the room, trailing after his hotheaded roommate.

The other slaves watched the new guard warily, wondering how he would react in the aftermath of the confrontation.

Tsuna heaved a great sigh. '_Well, that could have gone better', _he thought despairingly. '_Although'_, he perked up slightly and turned his head, glancing back over his shoulder. Enma was still staring up at him, large red eyes still nervous and unsure, but there was a distinct lack of fear, which had been there when he'd first approached him. '_At least someone doesn't hate me'_, he thought happily.

He went to the couch where Enma was sitting and dropped down onto the soft cushions, with an audible sigh. Enma blinked back at him questioningly from his place on the floor.

"Is he always like that?", he asked the redhead, feeling tired all of a sudden. Enma shook his head in answer, but didn't elaborate. Instead, someone else did.

"He doesn't like deception."

Tsuna glanced up and caught the gaze of one of the other slaves. He too had an unnatural hair colour, an off white, which looked somewhat strange on a person so young. Despite its oddness though, it went well with his dark grey eyes, which held the same amount of intensity as the majority of the people in the room.

Tsuna tilted his head forwards at the other's words. "You think I'm being deceptive?", he asked, in a tone far lighter than what he felt.

The other gave him a long, hard stare. "I don't know", he finally answered, looking like he wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion.

Tsuna took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting his head loll back against the couch. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, realizing just how hard this journey was going to be.

_'How am I supposed to prove myself?', h_e wondered, contemplating different scenarios.

He straightened up with another sigh and caught Enma looking at him again.

_'One step at a time I guess.',_ he concluded, smiling to himself behind the mask.

"Don't you want to sit up here?", he asked the redhead.

Enma's gaze darted around, unsure, before he nodded with a small sound of agreement and hauled himself up, using the couch as a brace. He sat down, looking uncomfortably stiff and almost comically uncertain about the new position. Tsuna couldn't help letting out a small chuckle.

"It wasn't an order you know. I was only asking. You can stay on the floor if it's more comfortable for you", he told the redhead, who gave him such a wide eyed look of shock that he let out a real laugh. Poor Enma looked so startled and confused by the turn of events that Tsuna continued laughing, finding it difficult to stop his sudden bout of amusement.

The slaves were startled when they heard the guard's laugh. It was… different. Most guards laughed out of cruelty, taking amusement in the slaves' misfortunes and the tortures they inflicted on them. But this wasn't anything like that. It was a true laugh, one that seemed out of place in this kind of environment. Though Tsuna - and the slaves themselves - didn't realize it, just the simple act of him laughing so purely was already taking the first step towards gaining their complete trust in him.

At first, when he'd encountered this guard, Enma had thought he was exactly the same as all the others. Cruel, selfish and with no regard to the well-being of any one of them. But he'd bandaged his hands, and he'd seemed so upset just by the sight of his wounds. And his laugh, it was unlike anything he'd ever encountered in this place. Everything about this person was warm, from the sound of his voice to the gentleness of his touch. He was _different. _

Enma wasn't entirely sure if he could trust this person yet, but... he wanted to. And as he sat next to the chuckling guard, he felt something that he hadn't felt in a very long time. Hope.

* * *

ummmmm...yeah...so, that's that...

Some of you may be thinking about how the first chapter doesn't seem to fit in with the summary... Well, all I can say is, everything will be explained...in time...

The thing that made me want to write this story is... anonymity... It feels like...in a lot of the stories I read, if not the vast majority, one of the biggest factor in Tsuna having people 'fall for him'...is his looks. Like..."oh, he's just so cute, I think I love him!" Do you guys know what I mean...? I know that looks do often have an important role in catching people's interest... but that's not all there is to these things... I just wanted to create a story where the sole factor that had people becoming interested in Tsuna... is his personality, not his appearance... There's a lot of different ways I could have gone about that but... I do -admittedly - have a weakness for 'harem' type settings... uwu" Hence...this... :')

Anyway... I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**18 years ago: **

Five year old Sawada Tsunayoshi toddled along besides his father, shyly grasping the older man's pant leg in his small hand. The blonde briefly grinned down at his adorable, fluffy haired son. A pair of large brown eyes blinked wonderingly at the surroundings as they moved down the hallway together. Many passing people stared back, curious and amused by the cute, wide eyed little brunette.

"Papa…?" Tsuna spoke quietly. Iemitsu gave a small hum in response, glancing down again. "Where are we going?" the toddler inquired.

"We're going to go show you the ropes, my adorable son", the man replied with a silly grin.

Tsuna blinked up at his father in confusion. "Ropes?" he repeated hesitantly. Iemitsu gave another hum in affirmation.

"Papa's going to show you a thing or two about The Collection, Tsuna".

The brunette's eyes went wide, mouth forming a small surprised 'o'. He was still just a kid but even he knew about The Collection. It was his family's legacy after all. He'd been told the story many times before, so much so that it was already well engrained into his memory.

The Vongola House Collection. Supposedly, it was formed around 400 years ago by a man known as Primo. He was the first; the founding father of the Vongola family and Tsuna's great-great-great Grandfather, as the family tree that was shoved under his nose almost once a month since he'd started learning to read had shown. The 'family' had started out small, with only 7 central members. But their numbers had quickly grown and by the next generation, they were the single largest family group in all of Europe. Alliances were formed, such as with the well known Chiavarone, and they continued to expand, gained power and control over many regions. It's uncertain exactly when The Collection itself began but it was now one of the largest and most prestigious groups of human slaves in the world.

Young Tsuna had thought on several occasions that it was a little bit odd for humans to collect each other, but he never voiced his questions aloud. After all, human trafficking was not something new. It's a practice that had been around since Primo's time and although it hadn't really taken off until just under 100 years ago, it was a very well established institution. People owning other people was just a normal part of life, and had been for a long time. Who was he, an unknowledgeable five year old, to question this?

Though little Tsuna was a direct descendant of the founder, he was not one of the official candidates for the position of next head of family, of which there were four. The candidates were all sons of the current family head, The Ninth, a man named Timoteo. Tsuna liked Timoteo. He had a soft, gentle voice and gave him lollies on several occasions when they'd met in the past, patting Tsuna's head and smiling kindly. The brunette had also met three of the four boys who were next in line; the three eldest. They were alright, but not anyone the brunette would want to be around for extended periods of time. Tsuna was stranger shy on the best of occasions, and all three of the elder boys gave off some serious vibes of intimidation that would usual have the brunette ducking for cover behind the legs of someone better known. The last son, Xanxus, still eluded him, but Tsuna was alright with that. The youngest was notorious for his terrible temper and overall bad attitude. The nice house maids who snuck Tsuna small snacks from the kitchen had often told him to avoid meeting the boy if he could. In their words, "we wouldn't want cute, innocent TsuTsu being corrupted by his dark aura". Tsuna didn't entirely understand this notion but he just nodded along anyway and promised them he'd try his best to avoid the other boy.

Tsuna tugged lightly at his father's pant leg. "What are you going to show me papa?" he asked, feeling a bit nervous and wanting to know just what he was going into.

Iemitsu placed a hand on his head as they turned a corner, drawing him closer and steering him out the way of a passing group of guards. The small brunette watched them pass wearily. Their long, full body cloaks and face masks were kinda cool but also made them more than a little scary. Though the guards generally had an even lower social standing than the slaves, they had far more freedom and were often allowed to wonder into most parts of the estate. Tsuna had never talked to a guard, and he never saw them in the main house, but he'd seen and heard enough of them in action to know that he didn't particularly want to. He clutched his papa's pant leg a little tighter as they continued on.

"Well", the blonde began, recapturing Tsuna's attention, "first I though it would be a good idea for you to meet someone from one of our allied families", Iemitsu said thoughtfully. Tsuna frowned slightly. Meeting a stranger was not something the toddler felt particularly eager about. "His name's Dino Chiavarone", his father went on, "from the Chiavarone family. He's a few years older than you Tsu, but I think you'll get on well." The brunette made a small uncertain sound in response, not feeling reassured. His father often said that he thought things would go well when he did things with Tsuna, and more often than not, they didn't.

The pair came to a stop in front of one of many large ornate doors in a long corridor. Iemitsu smiled down at his son reassuringly, grasped the handle and pulled. They stepped through the now open doorway into an equally ornate room. It was decorated much like the main house, with plush cushioned couches and antique furniture with curling, elaborately carved surfaces and legs. Fabrics and wallpapers in brightly coloured but not overwhelming patterns.

There were four people already waiting inside. Tsuna brightened when he recognized The Ninth, sitting on the couch facing the doorway, cane held with folded hands before him and eyes crinkling in a familiar friendly smile. The other three though, were new.

As the door closed behind them with a small click, the others sitting stood to face them. One was an elder man, around the Ninth's age, maybe a bit younger, the other, a young blonde haired boy wearing what seemed to be a school uniform. Tsuna shrunk back a little. This kid looked like he was more than just "a few years older" than him. The toddler grasped his father's pants tighter again, swaying uncertainly by the man's long legs.

It was then that his eyes slid to the side and his breathe caught. Standing with his back against one of the walls, was a very sharp looking, suit clad man. Thin black sideburns curled up from beneath an equally as black fedora, resting against high cheekbones. The hat cast a dark shadow over the other's eyes, keeping them from being seen, but Tsuna could practically feel the weight of the other's gaze on his small cowering form. He ducked further behind his father's legs. This guy was scary. He wasn't sure why but something about the man felt undeniably dangerous. Tsuna shivered.

A large familiar hand came to rest on top of Tsuna's head again and he glanced up at his father. The blonde grinned back at him reassuringly. The brunette was able to take some comfort from it and he smiled back wobbly as Iemitsu nudged him forwards, towards the couches. He shuffled along nervously.

"Iemitsu", Timoteo greeted, "and little Tsunayoshi", he smiled warmly, thick scruffy mustache lifting with the expression. Tsuna relaxed a bit more. "This is the eighth head of the Chiavarone family and his son, Dino." The two bowed their heads slightly as they were introduced, smiling. The one against the wall wasn't even spared a glance. Tsuna's brow pinched in confusion and his gaze darted back over to the reclined man. He was there for a reason too, right? Why didn't he warrant an introduction? It seemed really rude to just exclude him like that. No one else seemed to find it odd though, so the toddler just shifted and looked at his feet.

The Chiavarone head moved forwards with a hand outstretched. Tsuna's father clasped the hand in greeting. "Eighth", he said familiarly, "it's good to see you again." The man grinned back.

"Iemitsu, you look well", he said.

Tsuna blinked up at the exchange, well used to seeing these kinds of proceedings. The toddler shifted his gaze around again and caught the eye of Dino, who smiled back at him friendlily. Tsuna shifted in place and returned it shyly, ducking his head. Dino blinked at the younger boy, a small flush coming to his cheeks at the sight. Timoteo watched the exchange with amusement and could practically see the word '_cute_' floating through the young Chiavarone's head. Honestly. Their little Tsunayoshi certainly was adorable.

"Dino", he spoke up, taking the attention of everyone in the room. The young blonde turned to him and nodded respectfully in acknowledgement. "Why don't you and Tsunayoshi go into the next room together, and get to know each other a little, hm? That is why you're here after all".

Dino bowed his head. "Yes, Ninth." He turned back to the little brunette, who still held onto his father's pant leg. He smiled. "Tsunayoshi?" he held out a hand for the young boy. The toddler glanced up at his father questioningly. Iemitsu nodded back with a smile.

"Go on, Tsu. The adults are gonna have a small chat of our own. I'll come get you when we're done, 'kay?"

"Okay, papa", Tsuna nodded back, finally releasing his hold on the pant's material. He made his way over to Dino. The teenager smiled encouragingly and Tsuna shyly grasped the offered hand as the blonde led him to the next room over, through an adjoining archway.

The two boys settled on a couch together, Tsuna having to brace himself and jump up to make the distance from floor to cushions. Dino grinned at the display.

"So, Tsunayoshi", the blonde began, "how old are you?"

Tsuna grinned shyly. "Five…and a half", he stated proudly, small chest puffing out just a little.

Dino made his eyes go wide for the boy's benefit. "Ohhh, that old already, huh?"

Tsuna blinked up at him with a pleased smile and a nod. "How about you?" he asked back.

Dino smiled again. "Thirteen", he answered.

This time it was Tsuna's eyes that went wide. "That's so old!" he exclaimed.

Dino laughed in surprise. "I'm not that old am I?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Oh dear", Dino sighed, feigning sadness.

The brunette reached over and patted his hand sympathetically. "Don't worry. It's okay. Papa and *Nonno are way, _way_ older", Tsuna told him reassuringly.

Dino sniggered before tilting his head questioningly at the toddler. "Tsunayoshi, you call The Ninth grandfather?"

The brunette bobbed his head, humming. "Mm, sometimes. Papa and Nonno said they would like it if I called him Nonno so…", he trailed off and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, suddenly starting to feel shy again. "Umm", he started hesitantly, eyes cast down. "If Dino likes, he can call me Tsuna or Tsu or something…Lots of other people do…so…it's okay…", the brunette fidgeted in place, not meeting the other's gaze as he trailed off again.

Dino felt a small bubble of giddiness rise up in his chest and had to clamp down on what may very well have been a squeal. This kid was far too cute for his own good.

"Then, may I call you '*Tsunino'?" he asked with an affectionate smile, already completely enamored with the kid.

Tsuna flushed happily and nodded, shyly. Dino felt that giddiness rise up again and suddenly, having an idea, leaned forwards a little. "You know Tsunino, I've always wanted a little brother", Tsuna's eyes widened and darted up to the Chiavarone's still smiling face. Soft brown gazed back at him. "Would it be okay if I thought of you as my little brother? And if you like, you can think of me as your big brother?" The little brunette gasped, eyes shining, and nodded so enthusiastically Dino though his head might snap off.

"Yes!" Tsuna agreed, ecstatically. He too had though it would be the coolest thing in the world to have an older brother. And now he could. Even better, it was a nice person like Dino.

Dino grinned and laughed happily. "Good."

* * *

Truthfully, Iemitsu had been a little bit worried, leaving his little Tsuna alone with a complete stranger. It wasn't that he didn't think Dino was trustworthy or anything of the sort; quite the opposite actually. It was just that he knew how shy his adorable son could be, and he worried that he might have put him into a situation where he could easily get unnecessarily scared or upset.

He needn't have worried though. When he stepped into the adjoining room roughly an hour later, he found the two boys sprawled across a couch together, with his usually shy son half on top of the young Chiavarone, chatting away happily. Iemitsu blinked at the sight, a bit surprised. He hadn't thought things would go quite that well. Obviously he had underestimated Dino. He grinned in delight, badly wishing that he had a camera on hand. This was just such a precious moment.

"Boys", he called, and they blinked over at him. They hadn't even noticed him enter. "Sorry, but it's time for me to take Tsuna back now", he grinned teasingly at Dino. The boy flushed slightly and sat the both of them more upright again. Tsuna's face fell and he glanced over at his new big brother, before climbed from the couch a bit forlornly. Iemitsu sniggered.

"Now, don't look so sad Tsuna. You can see Dino again some time soon."

Tsuna perked up a bit at that, glancing back at the young blonde hopefully. Dino smiled back and nodded. "Any time, Tsunino", Iemitsu raised an eyebrow at the new nickname.

The toddler grinned, "Okay", and trotted back over to his father, who placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Bye for now, little Chiavarone, I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you in the future", Iemitsu winked at the mildly embarrassed teen and chuckled good naturedly.

Dino nodded. "Goodbye, Mr. Sawada. Bye, Tsunino." Tsuna took his father's hand and smiled back at the young blonde.

"Bye… big brother", he ducked his head shyly and gave a small wave as they left the room.

Dino grinned goofily after the retreating pair.

* * *

"So, you liked Dino then, Tsuna?" his father grinned down at him. Tsuna nodded happily, almost skipping besides him. Iemitsu's gaze softened, "that's good".

His son might not be one of the candidates for next family head, but that didn't mean he never could be. Tsuna was a legitimate, direct descendant of the first after all. A title not many people could boast. Assassinations were a common occurrence in their world too, after all. So, preparing his son in a way similar to the other boys, who were candidates, was just being smart. God forbid anything would happen to any of them though; that would break the Ninth's heart. Still, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Unlike Vongola, the Chiavarone only had the one heir, and that was Dino. Having Tsuna meet and make good ties with the next Chiavarone head now, could mean an even stronger alliance in the future, something both families would be quite happy about. And this meeting, while strategic, was also for Tsuna's personal benefit. The boy didn't really have any friends, growing up in this kind of environment. Likewise, neither did Dino. Iemitsu was truly happy that the two had ended up getting along so well. They'd be good for one another.

"Papa", Tsuna said, tugging on his hand to gain his attention. The blonde smiled.

"What is it, Tsuna?"

"Where are we going now?" the boy asked, curiously. The meeting with Dino had put him into a good mood, and the toddler was no longer apprehensive about being 'shown the ropes', as he had been earlier. Iemitsu grinned.

"I'm gonna show you papa's office and then, we might go down to see some people from The Collection itself", he told his son happily.

Tsuna nodded. "Okay."

Iemitsu's office was stationed in a different building, which stood apart from the rest of the complex. His father explained that, that was because Iemitsu's job as outside advisor meant that he had to work separate from the rest of the family, while still staying close. Tsuna didn't really understand but he nodded anyway. Iemitsu ruffled his hair again and set him in his lap as they sat at the blonde's desk. The toddler stared around the office in wonder while Iemitsu pointed out small things to him. Such as: "that's the special fountain pen the Ninth gave me, after 10 years of service to the family", "this is a map of all the different families and the regions they work in", and, "this is the paper work that papa has been putting off for a long time. It's very tedious and boring, enough to make you crazy. Tsu, maybe one day you'll understand papa's feelings".

After that, Iemitsu led Tsuna down a long corridor, through a courtyard, to a large building that was tucked away, almost hidden behind the main complex. The building was longer than it was taller, and seemed to stretch back quite a bit as well. It had about 4 floors, with small windows on all but one, the ground level. This was a place Tsuna had never been in before and he blinked at the surroundings curiously as they approached.

Just before they entered, Iemitsu stopped them and turned to Tsuna with a very serious expression. The toddler blinked unsurely up at his papa. He hardly ever wore that expression. When he did, Tsuna knew he was about to be told something very important. He gave his undivided attention as his papa crouched down before him.

"Tsuna", the blonde said, "the place I'm about to show you is very important to the Vongola. This is called the 'danger rooms'. It's where we keep the most prized people from The Collection. Now, it has that name for a reason. Most of the slaves in here are very dangerous, and even though they shouldn't be able to harm you, I want you to stay very close to papa at all times, okay? You understand?" he waited for Tsuna's nod before continuing. "Good. Also, I know you don't really like the guards, and I can't blame you for that. They're here for a reason though, and that's to help protect us, though that doesn't mean they're good people. So, try not to go near them either unless you absolutely have to, alright?" Tsuna nodded again. "Good boy."

With that, Iemitsu stood straight again and pushed the front door open. Tsuna clutched his father's hand and all but glued himself to his side, suddenly feeling very apprehensive.

They stepped into a wide, spacious, lobby type area. The place was teaming with guards and quite a few men and women in expensive looking clothing. Judging by the lack of any kind of uniform among them, Tsuna guessed that none of these people were workers; at least, not for the Vongola. Not like the maids and guards. For the life of him, the young brunette couldn't figure out why these people would be here then. All these strangers were making him nervous. The toddler's gaze swiveled around them somewhat fearfully, mindful of what his father had just told him, and hoped they would get somewhere with less guards soon. A lot of people stopped to let them pass, nodding respectfully at his father, some even sparing small words of greeting as they went. Tsuna could feel many eyes trailing after him as well, and he burrowed further into his father's side.

The pair went straight past the front desk without having to do anything. The people behind it simple exchanged nods with Iemitsu as he led Tsuna through.

Down a short corridor, they came to another open area, though considerably smaller than the other, with a tall stair well adjacent to an elevator. Iemitsu reached down, easily hauling Tsuna up into his arms. He gave a small grin as his son made a questioning sound. "Going up", the blonde said in explanation and began trotting up the stairs. They went all the way to the top level and Tsuna stared at his father in admiration. Four flights of stairs seemed a long way to him but the man's breathing remained easy and even. Iemitsu gently placed Tsuna back on his feet, but took his hand again. Another long corridor later, they were standing at some kind of admissions desk. Two guards sat there, in front of a pair of large double doors. Tsuna moved behind his father's legs once more. One of the guards stood to greet them.

"Mr. Sawada, sir. To what do we owe the honor?" he drawled. Tsuna frowned. He didn't like this guy's attitude. Not one bit. Who was he to talk to dad like that? Iemitsu didn't even blink.

"I wanted to show my son around the area", the blonde replied, expression flat but brown eyes sharp. The guard titled his head and turned that masked face down, in the toddler's direction.

"Ah, one of the young masters, huh? It's always good to see them." The guard nodded and added thoughtfully, "You have good timing, sir. Young master Massimo is here too, helping settle the newest acquisition. It should be a good experience for this young master to have." The guard almost seemed to be leering at them now from behind that porcelain mask. Tsuna clutched his fathers pant leg and the blonde placed a hand on his head.

Iemitsu gave a hum. "Is that so? That is good timing then. Come along, Tsuna." He steered his son past the desk and the two guards, who turned to watch them go. Tsuna heard the one who'd been talking to them utter a quiet, "have fun", as they passed. Tsuna glanced at him and gave a small shudder, hurrying along.

They entered through those large double doors into an open planned sitting area.

"This is the main room, Tsuna", Iemitsu informed him. "This is where the guests come first, when they have a certain type of… business with one of the slaves."

Tsuna glanced around. There were only a few people in there at the present. Men and women in expensive clothing, like the ones from downstairs, sitting or standing with other people that Tsuna could only guess were slaves. Many of the people that Tsuna now identified as guest had odd expressions on their faces. Leering or smiling oddly, with too much teeth or too little happiness. Instead, something else tilted their lips upwards. He didn't know what, but it was somewhat unpleasant to see.

They didn't linger for long.

Iemitsu led him through a side door, keeping Tsuna close to his side. They entered yet another corridor and a few doors down, Iemitsu steered him into a smaller room, where several guards were gathered, lining the walls. There was a young boy, not much older than Tsuna, sitting on a chair with a very blank look on his face; a thick metal band glinted around his left ankle. The toddler realised with a start that this child was a slave. The thought was somewhat unsettling. Somehow, Tsuna had always only imagined slaves as being adults. Seeing a kid, not much older than him, with that restraint locked on, was jarring.

The kid's gaze was initially downcast, but rose slowly when they entered. The guards shifted. Tsuna gasped. A pair of heterochromatic eyes locked onto the brunette, who hid behind his father's legs, staring with wide eyes. The slave boy's expression twisted briefly into something terrible, before he looked away again. Iemitsu tensed and laid a hand on Tsuna's head, in a somewhat useless attempt to sooth his son. Tsuna trembled, upset by that look and feeling more than a little shocked. What did he do? He swallowed thickly and pressed his face against his father's leg.

The door opened and the pair glanced behind them. An older teen stepped into the room and seemed slightly taken back by the newest arrivals. It was Massimo, the second eldest candidate for position of next family head. The guard had told them earlier that he was settling in the newest acquisition, meaning, that young boy sitting on the chair.

"Iemitsu?" he said, blinking at the blonde questioningly. "I didn't think you'd be here."

The blonde smiled amicably. "I've been showing Tsuna around. I thought it would be a good idea to let him see how things are run a little", he explained simply.

Massimo gave a crooked smirk, humming thoughtfully. "Right, well, guess I better put on a good show then."

Tsuna blinked in confusion and looked up at his dad, whose face was carefully blank. The toddler felt unsettled, and the feeling was only growing as Massimo shot him a quick unreadable look before approaching the boy in the chair. The candidate stood in front of the slave and held out a hand. A guard stepped forwards, producing a small switch, which he placed in Massimo's upturned palm. The teen crossed his arms and began.

"State your first name and age", he ordered.

The slave peered up at him in distaste. "Mukuro", he said in a soft voice, "seven".

Massimo nodded and asked, "Who do you belong to?"

Mukuro's expression twisted again. "I belong to no one", he answered.

Tsuna couldn't see Massimo's expression, but his voice was cruel when he said, "wrong answer", before flicking the switch with his thumb. There was a sharp thrum in the air and Mukuro's body jerked, face pinching in pain. Tsuna jerked with him, shocked and not understanding what had just happened. The slave let out a small sound of discomfort and glared death up at Massimo.

Tsuna's eyes were stuck wide open in shock and he tugged urgently at his papa's hand. The blonde glanced down at his son who gave him a wide eyed, almost panicked look, glancing back at the slave as though he was asking Iemitsu to do something. Tsuna's expression twisted in confusion and despair when his papa simply shook his head with a somewhat sad expression and looked away.

Massimo repeated, "Who do you belong to?"

Mukuro smirked defiantly; or perhaps it was a grimace. "No one", he answered again. There was another thrum and another jerk, this time accompanied by a small shout or pain.

This process continued for several more minutes. Massimo would ask his question, Mukuro would give his answer, and then Massimo would flip the switch and Mukuro would jerk, twitch and shudder in pain, though the sounds gradually lessened as he grew used to the treatment.

Eventually, Massimo sighed, a sound of mock despair. He turned some kind of dial on the switch with a series of small clicks. He tilted his head at Mukuro thoughtfully, who was now slumped a bit in the chair, hands clenched in the fabric of his pants over his thighs. "This next shock will be quite different you know, much worse than the others. I suggest you answer properly this time", he said lightly, as though he was simply commenting on the weather and not torturing a small boy.

Tsuna shook where he stood, willing the slave to just give in.

Mukuro raised his head, defiance in his eyes as he smiled, almost serenely. "I belong to no one", he answered, without Massimo even asking his question.

Massimo sighed again and Tsuna took a death grip on his father's pant leg as that thumb moved to the switch one more time. The thrum was much stronger this time and towards the end it rose into a sharp zap. Mukuro's eyes widened and he _screamed. _Tsuna slammed his hands over his ears and buried his face against his father's leg, screwing his eyes shut. He didn't want to see this. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want this to be happening at all. Why were they doing this? He was just a kid. The brunette gave a small sob and trembled uncontrollably, beyond upset. He was horrified and scared and he wanted it to stop. He just wanted it to stop already.

Iemitsu frowned down at his clearly distressed son and soothed the boy's hair back. Poor Tsuna, he would have had to see this eventually. He thought that the sooner the better, so that maybe he could at least become desensitized to these kinds of things, but maybe it was too early. The blonde glanced back at the new slave. The boy had fallen from the chair and lay shuddering on the floor, breathing harsh.

Massimo towered over him, an expectant look on his face. "Who do you belong to?" he asked once more.

The boy on the floor twitched and croaked, "Vongola…", in a small broken voice. Massimo nodded, satisfied. "Good boy", he said, gesturing for the guards to come and take him away.

Iemitsu turned his gaze back to Tsuna again, who was still clutching at his leg, face hidden. Clearly he wasn't going to be calming down anytime soon. The blonde crouched, scooping up his son who instantly clung to his neck, burrowing his face out of sight again. He carried him from the room then out to the main area, through to the outside corridor again; the guards from before watched them leave, silently.

Iemitsu kept walking and Tsuna didn't make a peep, all the way back to the main house. They got more than a few curious and concerned looks as they went, people wondering what may have happened to put the young brunette into such a state.

The maids who doted on Tsuna all stared when they arrived at the house, clearly wanting to know what had happened but not wanting to step out of place. Again, Iemitsu didn't stop, he just continued forwards up the stairs, making his way towards Tsuna's bedroom.

Once they were inside, with the door closed securely behind them, the blonde sat on his son's bed and said hesitantly, "Tsuna…"

It was like a damn breaking. Suddenly the toddler was sobbing his little heart out, completely inconsolable. All Iemitsu could do was hold him and rub his back soothingly, cooing soft, empty words of comfort. This went on for quite a while, until Tsuna was completely exhausted. The toddler just lay limply against his father's chest, hiccupping occasionally, eyes and face red and soaked, along with Iemitsu's shirt.

Eventually, Iemitsu talked. "I'm so sorry, Tsuna", he apologized, voice somewhat strained. He never could handle when his son was that distressed.

"I knew something like that would upset you, but it's something you had to see." Tsuna hiccupped.

His father continued. "You see son, that kind of thing is necessary. When we get new slaves, we have to make sure they know exactly where their place is, especially in the danger rooms. Otherwise it's be far too difficult to control them." He explained, slowly, letting his son take it in. Tsuna clenched his shirt and sat up a bit, frowning, but didn't say anything.

Iemitsu gave him a small sad smile. "I know what you might think Tsuna. That there must be some other way to do it, but there's not. That is the only way we can really be sure that we have complete obedience." Tsuna sniffled and dropped his gaze, still frowning.

Iemitsu soothed his son's fluffy hair back, cradling his little face and rubbing some of the tear tracks away with his thumbs.

After a small stretch of silence the blonde said, "I know it's terrible, but it's reality. Obedience must be ensured, it's a part of what makes a great boss, that's why Massimo was the one doing it." Tsuna's frown just deepened and he slipped from his father's lap onto the bed. He took hold of his pillow, hugging it to his body and lying on his side, burying his face.

Iemitsu sighed and ruffled his son's hair one last time. "You must be tired. I'll let you get some sleep."

He left the room, pausing in the doorway to turn the light off, before closing the door behind him.

Tsuna looked up when he heard the telltale click and sat up again. He moved back, resting against the headboard and still hugging his pillow. The brunette rested his chin on top of it and gazed down at his bedcover, thinking.

He'd had no idea that anything like that happened here. And doing those kinds of things was what made a great boss? That meant that the Ninth, his kind Nonno, had done that too? He thought back to the sight of the young slave's pained face, voice hoarse from shouts of pain and Massimo's cruel, unsympathetic words as he inflicted that pain. Tsuna's lower lip trembled, tears welling up, and he buried his face again. It was simply too awful a thought. He couldn't reconcile this new information with his pre-existing view of the Ninth. But if that really was what made a great boss, then Tsuna never wanted anything to do with it. He decided then and there, that no matter what, he would never be the family head. Not ever.

* * *

_*'Nonno' is Italian for grandfather. Funnily enough, 9th is 'nono'. Quite similar, hm?_

_*adding 'ino' for boys or 'ina' for girls at the end of a name, is a term of endearment in Italian. It means something like 'little'. So 'Tsunino' is something like 'little Tsuna'. Or at least, that's how I understand it. I don't actually speak Italian myself :T_

_Confession: perhaps you can tell, but I wrote this chapter in little under a day, re-reads and corrections included. I think I'm just as eager as you guys, if not more so, to see where this is going. I'm really excited~ _

___Anyway... that's chapter 2... I hope you liked it..._


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